California Climbing Trip

In the summer of 98, the team was back. Pretty much on the spur of the moment I decided I really did want to go to California, even if it was just for a week. After some consideration, Mt. Shasta was chosen over Mt. Whitney, although the East Face route on the latter is a worthy future objective.

To complete the week, we were going to check out Castle Crags state park, near Mt. Shasta, and also spend a couple of days around Lake Tahoe.

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We did hit all of the areas we planned on hitting, but never on a climbing trip did I feel so lazy. I think it was mutual as well, and we got very little done. I found leading on granite, at 5.6, to be somewhat sustained (never found that good ledge to stand on and place pro ... have to trust the friction and have to trust the handjams). Consequently I deferred committing to some of the longer climbs we had planned on doing (in Castle Crags, and at Lover's Leap). On the last day, we went to 90 Foot Wall, near Emerald Bay at Tahoe, which was a cool place to toprope. Pretty view, but maybe a little to close to the crowded trail.